Down the Rabbit Hole: Alice in Wonderland Woodland Wedding

Kay’E Photography

November 24, 2017

Are you ready for the Alice in Wonderland wedding to end all Alice in Wonderland weddings? Well buckle up baby because you’re in for one hell of a psychedelic ride!

Tumi and MJ wanted their wedding to be Alice in Wonderland themed, but not the Disney version. They were inspired by Lewis Carroll’s original books. Almost all the elements were custom or handmade. They had a bell that rung during their Mad Hatter’s Tea Party reception to make people change seats, had a bridal bouquet treasure hunt and ‘drink me’ shots for everyone before they walked through the door to the ceremony!

“I have never been the typical girly girl,” explained Tumi. “I’ve always been a little alternative. My husband and I are both artists, adventurous and fun-loving. We wanted a theme that would reflect that. Sometimes our lives are like a trip down the rabbit hole, and this was an opportunity to take everyone with us on that journey. We have never been good at following mainstream and have always preferred things that are unique and one-of-a-kind, so almost everything in our wedding was.”

Their ceremony was set in the middle of the forest, under a giant mushroom! “We kept the vows simple, and opted for an Apache blessing. A favourite added bonus was our good friend’s (the lead singer of MJ’s band theSHIFT) song selection as I walked through the forest to the clearing where the ceremony was held. He chose to sing White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane, it was PERFECT!”

They did a lot of DIY projects, with help from their bridal party. “We put together quite a few parts of the wedding with the help of my superstar bridal party. My make up artist was my maid of honour, my dress was made by my high school friend turned awesome designer, I handmade all of our wedding invitations with the help of one of my bridesmaids who is a graphic designer, we handmade all the brooch bouquets for the wedding party, and the day before the wedding my bridal party helped us mix up monster batches of the ‘drink me’ shots we had concocted months before with some of my NYC girlfriends.”

“The DIY projects, though time consuming, helped us save us thousands! We were able to get exactly what we wanted, with all the glamour and class at a fraction of the cost. We also opted to do mostly e-invites, so we saved a lot of time and money on the handmade invitations. Nu Experiences, our wedding planner, was also great at helping us source everything we couldn’t make or find ourselves at a reasonable cost and stay within budget… We only wish we had brought her into the fold much earlier!”

Tumi’s favorite part of their wedding was getting down on the dance floor together. “We loved everything about the wedding, but definitely the dance floor was EVERYTHING for me! It started with our first dance. Myself being a professional dancer, and he being a professional drummer (and not the best dancer) we opted to do it our way, a way that has connected us since the beginning. With him on the drums and the dance floor to myself lost in his music. When the dance floor opened and everyone was there, under our giant moon and trance tent surrounded by Chester Cat smiles, it was AMAZING! We had a spiral dance floor, and had selected a night with a ‘Chester Cat Smile’ Moon, it was perfect ambiance.”

Their biggest expenses were the food and the venue, “But they were worth it!” she said. “The forest created a true sense of adventure as guests had to wander through the forest throughout the evening to get to the various sections, and the food was to die for, complete with edible spoons and bowls!”

The best thing about planning their wedding was getting to work and spend time with their friends, “It was amazing to work with our lifelong friends, in their amazing capacities, especially on my wedding dress. Anissa truly made it a joyous process. She really took the time to conceptualise a dress that was 100% me in every aspect, and source the best materials and skills at an affordable cost. Every detail of the dress was intricate and personalised, from the mother of pearl veil, to the hundreds of hand-sewn flowers, deconstructed and reconstructed fabrics, and hidden charms throughout  which represented significant aspects of the life my husband and I have shared together. Everyone brought so much to the table and helped make our vision and an even greater reality.”

“Our advice for future brides and grooms is accept help with planning where you can get it”, she concluded, “and don’t sweat the small stuff. Try to enjoy the process as much as possible, support each other, work together and make time for yourselves. At the end of the day, its just a party celebrating life. There is no right or wrong way, do it your way and make it your own. Enjoy the party, live in the moment and ROCK ON!”

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